You probably know by now that I’m an advocate of digitizing your maps, for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that it checks the box for the basic tenets of mapping, including maps must be:

created collaboratively, with customers and with other stakeholders

shared with the employees who impact the journey that was mapped

updated to always reflect the current state of the experience

communicated by using them as onboarding and training tools for your organization

actionable, meaning they must include enough detail and data to not only truly understand what’s going well and what’s not but to also be able to identify the moments of truth

Let me go back to the myth for a moment: Without a digital mapping platform, I can’t even begin to map.

You absolutely can map without a digital platform; as a matter of fact, I often like to start my journey mapping sessions with butcher paper and sticky notes because it gets people: out of their seats and involved; up and thinking; and collaborating, questioning, and learning. It’s more of a design-thinking, creative approach.

But you can’t stop there. I think this is often why maps fail. Digitizing your maps makes all of those basic tenets possible. Some digital platforms offer features that allow you to assign ownership and to develop actions plans to ensure accountability for making improvements and driving change. No more maps rolled up under your desk or stored in a closet! Of course, you must take that step to transfer from analog to digital, but that’s fairly straightforward.

I’m often asked about journey mapping platforms: which one to use, capabilities to consider, etc. Think about what you want your platform to be able to do. Here are just some of the questions your should be asking:

Is it flexible, allowing you to adjust the columns and the swim lanes?

Can you map actual customer steps, not just stages and touchpoints?

Does it allow you to capture not only what the customer is doing but also what the customer is thinking and feeling?

Can you display the persona for which you are mapping right there with the map?

Are you able to bring data into the map? Is it connected to or integrated with a VoC platform or a CRM system?

Are you able to analyze the maps and prioritize moments of truth within the platform?

An important thing to note is this: Just because you’ve mapped doesn’t mean your done. The map is really just the beginning. It should be detailed enough to help you understand the current state experience and to identify what’s working and what’s not. From there, you must do the work. You have to conduct root cause analysis, prioritize moments of truth, design the future state experience, test the new experience, and fail fast. Do it again.

Nothing changes if nothing changes. Get mapping!

Man is always inclined to be intolerant toward the thing, or person, he hasn’t taken the time adequately to understand. -Robert R. Brown